Having come through another hurricane season it is worth reconsidering the importance of open and honest communications between the property management staff and the tenants. On a recent project we witnessed the owner and manager paralyzed by indecision concerning emergency mitigation services. As such the rain soaked interiors baked in the sun leading to interesting environmental conditions.
The owner at first did not want to address the conditions almost trying to "wish" the problems away. This behavior only brought about very unhappy tenants and a stream of folks leaving the development. Soaking interior finishes and wall cavities also seriously impacted the very young and those with certain chronic breathing problems. Suddenly when reporters and news crews started to appear in the neighborhood the owner and manager were "moved" to action.
Over several decades of managing mitigation and large scale multi-family repairs we know that true, honest, accurate information sharing with the tenants is vital. When a disaster or calamitous event arises that impacts an entire complex the owner or manager need to be proactive. Bring the tenants together in a single event lay out the facts as you know them and answeer questions honestly to the best of your ability. Certain managers quake in their shoes at the thought of bringing all the tenants together. They are often afriad that they will be put upon by the throng. They have a misconceived notion that only speaking to individual inquiries is more prudent than providing uniform information. Is there a delusion that the tenants will not speak to each other? Have they not experienced the social phenomenon that rumors grow to fill the voids created by intentionally limiting communication.
More to come....
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